Iggy Jang

(Media release) — The Hawai’i Performing Arts Festival presents ‘Tis The Season, a gala holiday concert and audience sing along at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 11, 2009.

The concert will feature violinist and Honolulu Symphony Concertmaster Iggy Jang and HPAF Artistic Director Val Underwood accompanying a cast of vocalists selected as “audience favorites” from the July festival, including Angie Solomon and Alysia Lee.  Musical theater, opera and favorite music of the season will abound.  The holiday gala is generously underwritten by Monks Delight Kona Coffee, Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, and Tiffany and Co. Read the rest of this entry »

Kelly Greenwell

By Kelly Greenwell

As those focused on perpetuating the melody are now writing the lyrics to the economic woes of the nation, clear thought is being overwhelmed by an incomprehensible and perhaps suspicious refusal to acknowledge the simplicity of the issue.

Our economic situation is quite simply the result of a failure to realize the need to balance the money supply with the volume of the product on the market. The situation would have been avoided had we added new money to a system which instead was fueled by the issuance of unsubstantiated credit, along with the threat of inflation (deflation?). Read the rest of this entry »

Image courtesy of Antique Trader Blog

(Media release) — The Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission has announced its Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009 Big Island workshop for 2010 prospective candidates.

If you are considering running, or if you plan to play a key campaign role, you need to attend the Nov. 5 workshop slated for 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Aupuni Center in Hilo.  There is neither a preregistration or a fee. The public welcome. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m so embarrased for our Hawaii Nei. Thanks to Gov. Linda Lingle, Department of Education and the teachers’ union, we were blasted in an op-ed piece in the New York Times for shortchanging schoolchildren with Furlough Fridays.
The editorial laid out the problem quite clearly and concisely for the NYT readers worldwide.
Hawaii, which boasts the only state-run education system, suffers from Not Being Able To See The Forest Through The Trees Syndrome.
All states are suffering from the bad economy, but our state is the only one with the distinguished title of Every Child Left Behind for opting to cut classroom time to cut costs. In fact, the title of the op-ed piece is “Hawaii’s Children, Left Behind.”
Ah, the shame, being mentioned in such a negative tone in the nation’s greatest and most enduring newspaper. I don’t blame the Times for harping on the governor, DOE, and the all too complacent Legislature.
As the Times op-ed piece alluded, we parents and residents who pay into the state-run education machine are hoping for some kind of intervention. I imagine the civil suits challenging Furlough Fridays will prevail.
Hopefully, the court is going to be the voice of reason in all this and the Times will continue to follow the story, so we can redeem ourselves to the world. Read the rest of this entry »

Compost bin image courtesy of the Leicestershire County Council

From  www.hawaiizerowaste.org:

Composting Workshops

10 a.m.  - 4 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009

Locations: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Cooper Center – Volcano Village

2 p.m. – 4 p.m. at the Pāhoa Feed & Fertilizer

Cost for the two-hour long composting workshop is $10 per person and includes a free composting bin.  To register or more information, email piper_selden@yahoo.com or call her at (808) 937-2233.

Cooper Center is on Wright Road in Volcano Village.  The workshop is to be held outside under the covered area.

Image courtesy of Yahoo! Big League Stew

I’m no sports aficionado.  I mean, historically, I’ve enjoyed watching sports live and on television, even listening to a game on the radio, but I haven’t really followed any particular team or team player very closely.  Living in Hawaii, though, I like to keep track of the sportsmen from here. UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn and Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino are no exception.

Mayor's Office photo

On Tuesday, when Mayor Billy Kenoi declared Oct. 27 “BJ Penn Day” I was amused to hear the news.  Having met BJ Penn, I agree with the mayor in that BJ is a role model and a mentor for youth here on the island. Read the rest of this entry »

Read the rest of this entry »

Sen. Colleen Hanabusa

(Media release) — A Special Committee of the Hawai‘i State Senate will convene at 12:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 30, 2009 to consider the options available to address the question of teacher furloughs.

“I am proud that my colleagues are stepping up with a battery of ideas to solve the teacher furlough problem,” said Senator Colleen Hanabusa, “but every option raises questions. We need to look at not only whether money is available, but how we can ensure that any money we appropriate gets released by the governor and goes to education. We also need to answer some fundamental questions about whether any action we take will interfere with a collectively bargained agreement between the state, the DOE, and the teachers’ union. The right to collective bargaining is guaranteed in our state Constitution, so this is a significant concern.” Read the rest of this entry »

(Media release) — Hawaii Preparatory Academy (HPA) will host two Visit Days for prospective students and their families on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009 (grades K-8), and Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009 (grades 9-12).

Registration for the Nov. 14 event begins at 8:45 a.m. at the Village Campus dining hall.  During their visit, which will run from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., prospective K-8 students and families will have an opportunity to see the full range of programs available at HPA, including art, music and performing arts, computer science/technology, library science, and physical education.

Registration for the Nov. 21 event begins at 8:45 a.m. at Gates Performing Arts Center, located at the school’s Upper Campus. Read the rest of this entry »

Aloha,

It is almost time for the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival.  And, of course, that means the KTA Super Stores Kona Coffee Recipe Contest is just around the corner.

The Kona Coffee Recipe Contest will be held Sunday, 8 November 2009, at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and Spa Convention Center.  It is important to note that, even in these challenging economic times, KTA continues to generously support this event and the prizes for our winners. Read the rest of this entry »

Image courtesy of Pineapple Park Kona Hostel and Inn

(Media release) — County of Hawai’i Mayor Billy Kenoi is proposing to extend the “Kokua Zone” program to provide free, island-wide bus service on the Island of Hawai’i for another year.

“The free county bus fares are helping our residents to weather these challenging economic times, and are also providing a benefit to the business community by helping to connect workers with employers,” Mayor Kenoi said.

“This program helps our youth by providing them with transportation to sports and other healthy activities, and helps our elderly by connecting them with medical care and other services,” Mayor Kenoi said. “This program should be continued.” Read the rest of this entry »

From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009 at the Honoka’a People’s Theater and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday, Nov. 23, 2009 at the University of Hawaii-Hilo Room UCB 100, Global H.O.P.E. will be hosting the film crew of the Invisible Children.

The recent high-school graduated crew will show their film, The Rescue of Joseph Kony’s Child Soldiers. Invisible Children is a non-profit organization that uses the power of media to inspire young people to help end the longest running war in Africa. Read the rest of this entry »